Wolf Pack Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Origin Point

The drama and teen angst heat up when the full moon finally reaches its peak on Wolf Pack Season 1 Episode 3, “Origin Point.”

This episode utilizes the Paramount+ show’s dedication to slow-burn storytelling to grant the ensemble more space to fall into their characters.

Nevertheless, “Origin Point” doubles as the endpoint for how long Wolf Pack can extend its first full moon. The characters and story start to clash with the confines of the moonlit settings by the end of the episode, signaling a necessary turn in the story.

Wolf Pack‘s third outing teases dynamics that will hopefully find deeper exploration in the daylight — and at the high school, the teens supposedly attend.

In only a few short exchanges, “Origin Point” establishes (or reestablishes) shared histories between Blake and Phoebe, Luna and Austin, and Cyrus and Harlan.

One of the best representations is the brief moment when it’s unclear whether Luna’s accelerated heartbeat is audible because she’s aware of it or Harlan hears it. There’s truth to both, encapsulating the angst expected from a supernatural teen drama.

Those insights into the core four’s connections to Austin, Cyrus, Phoebe, and Tia could have retroactively granted more intrigue in the episode’s teaser, but they don’t entirely succeed.

The episode’s opening finds its finest appeal in the werewolf creeping just below the surface, contrasting the natural danger in the wildfire.

The near touch of its foot and Phoebe’s hand is as stress-inducing as the close encounter between the wolf and Everett in the final minutes.

Wolf Pack excels in highlighting the horrors that lurk in the shadows, but it needs more time to prove it can carry that skill to the daytime.

Alternatively, “Origin Point” expresses an awareness that it can liven up hefty scenes with the chemistry that continues to grow between Chloe Rose Robertson, Tyler Lawerence Gray, Armani Jackson, and Bella Shepard.

For instance, Kristin Ramsey’s questions could become redundant, but the script — and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s performance — prevents that from happening.

Wolf Pack brings new energy to her scenes with Blake, Everett, Harlan, and Luna through the pack’s exploration of their werewolf abilities and the perfectly-timed reintroduction of Rodrigo Santoro’s Garrett Briggs.

Harlan’s exasperation when Everett doesn’t relay their cover story correctly is hilarious on Gray’s behalf. The scene quickly becomes heartening to see all four characters sit up a little taller when they learn they can hear each other.

It’s evident that Wolf Pack plans to slowly develop the friendships (or more) between these characters, and that’s okay because the chaotic energy of Blake, Everett, Harlan, and Luna piecing their abilities together is fun to watch.

That group, coupled with Garrett, is when “Origin Point” shows what Wolf Pack can harness more to succeed — the found and chosen family building at its core.

A significant assumption going into Wolf Pack was that Gellar’s Kristin would hold the role of a character like Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and she still could), but this episode presents Garrett as the underdog vying for that spot.

While his interest in Everett and Blake comes from a partly biased perspective to prioritize his kids’ well-being, Garrett is the only adult (so far) with any knowledge of werewolves. His aside with Harlan and Luna details that he knows as much as they do, including that they’ve “never had a pack before.”

Santoro’s line delivery posits that the teen wolves may have something to kill for now, even though Luna asserts that she and her brother have never killed before. That hypothesis charges everything that follows with a level of fearful urgency — from the wolf killing the horrible cop to Harlan shooting the wolf to protect Everett.

 “Origin Point” could have ended on the eerie note that the wolf wants its pack for something other than to kill them, but it finds a stronger and more emotionally effective note to end on — Wolf Pack‘s introduction of pure silver bullets. 

The reveal that Garrett has always made and kept materials known to be deadly to werewolves nearby to potentially harm his children is a much bigger bombshell that effectively marries the two worlds of storytelling. It lands like a weight on the chest of this family because of Gray, Robertson, and Santoro’s performances.

But, of course, a bit of perspective illuminates Garrett’s decision as one likely born out of self-preservation, not knowing how Luna and Harlan would grow after taking them in as cubs. Nevertheless, that hindsight isn’t something Luna and Harlan have at the end of “Origin Point,” and they may not gain it in the next episode.

This cliffhanger pulls an engaging story into the next episode that doesn’t connect to the full moon that overstays its welcome. Rather, the interpersonal twist creates conflict with roots in something beyond its inciting incident that it can’t shake. So, no matter how devastating, this tension is a good sign for Wolf Pack‘s future.

—

What did you think of this episode of Wolf Pack? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

New episodes of Wolf Pack stream on Thursdays on Paramount+. Try Paramount+ for free, right here

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

15 Supernatural Teen TV Shows to Sink Your Teeth Into if You’re Excited About ‘Wolf Pack’